Voter Forms

Accessibility

Vermont’s election laws are designed to make it easy for all eligible Vermonters to vote and to register to vote. One of the specific purposes of the Vermont Election Laws is “to provide equal opportunity for all citizens of voting age to participate in political processes” 17 V.S.A. §2101.

Vermont’s Accessible Voting System

In 2018, beginning with the August Primary, the Secretary of State's Office is introducing a new accessible voting system. This is a tablet-based system that will mark the voter's selections onto the same paper ballots used by all voters at the polls, increasing the privacy and independence of the vote for a voter with disabilities. The system also contains an online-based ballot marking interface which will enable voters with disabilities to vote privately and independently from home during the early voting period.

We are very excited to bring this much improved accessible voting technology to Vermont in 2018.

Background

The Help America Vote Act (HAVA) required states to implement voting systems that are accessible for individuals with disabilities and permit voters who are blind or visually-impaired to cast their votes privately and independently. Since the implementation of HAVA in 2004, Vermont has used a vote-by-phone style accessible voting system. In 2018, we are replacing the vote-by-phone system with a state-of-the-art accessible ballot marking device. The accessible voting system being implemented this year by the state of Vermont is designed to meet and even exceed the HAVA mandate.